It all started with Freshers.....

Part One - Making Plans

Ciara's POV

"Yous need to come up and see me some weekend," Laura said, "Better yet over freshers week." She was over the moon about getting into uni. To be honest none of us had thought she would but here she was all set to move. She'd gotten the minimum grades she needed. She'd gotten her B and 2 Cs. I was happy for her as she described the typical student lifestyle she thought she was going to lead. I knew she wouldn't party every weekend but I nodded along. Anything to keep her happy.

Stephen and I glanced awkwardly at each other and smiled. Neither of us had gotten into uni so in a way we felt a little bit left out. We weren't part of this big exciting step that most of our friends were making. Instead we were staying firmly put at home and in a way we were happy about it. In other ways we were sad. It was terrifying to see everyone upping and leaving. In a way I felt a little lost. For the first time in my life I wouldn't be entering a building where I knew I'd be surrounded with my best friends all day and it was unnerving. I'd just gotten confirmation about my tech course, a foundation degree in Early Childhood Studies which would bring me into childminding. The job I knew I wanted to do. Stephen had to repeat A level exams but hopefully he'd get them this year so he'd be able to go to uni next year to study Computer Science or Maths. That was his dream.

"Yeh that would be class," I remarked with a smile. A whole weekend in Belfast over Freshers would be unreal. The partying. The drink. The people. It would be a good weekend to go because Laura wouldn't be fed up of going out yet so we'd definitely get into some of the nightclubs. Plus student offers would be running so drink would be cheap.

Stephen nodded and squeezed my hand beneath the table. He was my best friend in a sense. He knew I was still a bit stung over not getting into uni, despite getting the grades, but he knew how to make me feel better about pretty much everything.

"Yeh we could go. Rachel and Sara could come too."

"Yeh but that's too many of us. We'd need a hotel room. We couldn't all crash with Laura," I murmured gently to Stephen.

Laura sank back into conversation with Amelia who was moving away across the water to study.

Stephen and I brought out our phones. My little android phone compared to his flashy iPhone. Irritatingly Stephen was never short of a pound or two while I could be short of a few pounds quite easily. He started googling hotels whilst I sorted out train times.

"Right the trains thirty quid return, first class. Not too shabby lad," I said as I pulled a pen from my bag and scribbled down the times. My curving writing covered the back of an old receipt I'd found at the bottom of my bag. I was opting for times early in the morning starting from 0830, 0925,1032,1147. We might as well make the day out of it.

"Right, the hotel room for two double rooms is seventy five quid a night each. We go Thursday and Friday. What do you think? Home on Saturday?"

I frowned. "Naw go Wednesday to Friday. Everything gets more expensive at the weekends and train times aren't as regular. Twin rooms lad, by the way."

"Fair enough. Still seventy five quid a night each." Stephen shrugged.

In the following week things changed. Rachel and Sara couldn't go so Stephen and I were heading up without them. We'd booked a twin room deciding it was easier for us if we just booked a twin room. I didn't want to spend the night in a hotel room on my own and neither did he.

In a bid to get Rachel to come and keep us grounded I text her pleading her to go.

"Are you sure you won't come with us to Belfast? We could even just go for one night ☺️xx"

I could imagine her face as she read the message. She'd refuse again. She'd already told me she wasn't going because it wasn't her scene. Rachel wasn't a nightclub person but she was a drinker so there would definitely be something for her on Freshers week anyway. The drink would be plentiful and the students would be rich, generous with their money because their loans would be in and there were no parents to nag about how to spend it. Life was sweet, lived out as the students thought best.

"Naw chick. Really don't want to go. It's not my sort of thing! Tell me all about it when you get back and send me loads of snaps 🙊, proper pollute me with pictures 😷. Btw found that skirt you wanted a lend of I'll send it up with Stephen 😘xx"

I smiled. Only Rachel would remember to send me up the clothes I wanted to borrow. I'd actually forgotten about it. It was just a black leather skirt but it fell to my knees. It was classy but sexy when paired with high heels.

"Thanks missus ☺️. You're a wee babe. Talk soon xx"

"Speak soon. Have fun and remember no boys especially not f*ckboys. You don't need another of those in your life xx"

I laughed. Typical. She'd mother me from afar. Remind me to stay away from the bad boys. Yet in my books it's often the bad boys who are most interesting.....

A/N my first real attempt at a proper story on here. It starts a little slow but let me know what you think. Thanks for reading guys